Coalition Members
- Appalachia -
TFH Appalachia Coalition Members
Scarlette Jasper
Scarlette Jasper is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel serving with Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative, in the Appalachian foothills of Southern and South Central Kentucky. A longtime champion for the economically disadvantaged, Scarlette ministers within some of the poorest counties in the United States. The majority of the counties in which Scarlette serves are considered “distressed” counties on the basis of low per capita income and high rates of poverty and unemployment. Scarlette has been involved in nonprofit work with disadvantaged communities for more than 27 years, serving in leadership positions locally and nationally for various organizations. Now, Scarlette is the Director of Olive Branch Ministries, which serves individuals and families in crisis, including: Individuals experiencing homelessness Survivors of domestic violence Families in financial and medical crisis While she assists families with financial counseling, job-readiness skills, applying for additional benefits and services, Scarlette strives to meet physical needs as well including food, shelter, clothing and other basic necessities. Scarlette also coaches others to meet emotional and spiritual needs through classes, counseling referrals and Bible studies.
Appalachian Immersion Experience
Middlesboro, Kentucky
Appalachian Immersion offers youth and adult groups service and learning experiences that seek to replace stereotypes about the people, region, and culture of southeastern Kentucky with enduring relationships of Christian hospitality and hope. Where our faith tradition has been keen to “go and tell,” Immersion offers to come alongside and to listen.
Rev. Zachary L. Bay, Pastor of FBC Middlesboro, KY
Appalachia Service Project
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian Ministry, open to all people, that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia. ASP provides rewarding structured service opportunities, bringing thousands of volunteers from around the country to fill a vital need for safe housing for low-income families in Appalachia. ASP envisions the eradication of substandard housing in Central Appalachia and the transformation of everyone who comes in contact with the ministry.
Walter Crouch, President/Chief Executive Officer
Melisa Miller, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
BetterFi
BetterFi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and certified Appalachian Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Our primary service is affordable credit designed to help individuals get out of a predatory debt trap, but we also offer complementary financial programing like coaching and free income tax filing. By structuring our loans to prioritize affordable and successful repayment rather than our own profit maximization, BetterFi works with our borrowers to meet their emergency liquidity needs, strengthen their financial fitness, improve their credit scores, and increase their ability to utilize conventional financial services.
Spike Hosch, Executive Director and Founder
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Kentucky
CBF Kentucky is a fellowship of churches and individuals who are committed to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. CBF Kentucky’s mission is three-fold: 1) to help churches partner with one another and with other organizations that share a similar philosophy and goal; 2) to provide resources for churches and individuals as they do their work; and 3) to encourage involvement in missions and ministries in local communities, throughout the state, and globally.
Robert Fox, Jr., Coordinator
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Virginia
At CBFVA, we believe that the Church is God’s best instrument for doing work in the world. We believe that God has put your congregation right where you are, with the people you need to do the work God is calling your congregation to do. We also believe that God has given us the gift of partners that help us on our way. CBFVA is compelled by God’s spirit to walk alongside congregations as they live out their unique call. We believe the best way to do that, in this season of life, is through Advocacy, Partnerships, and Theological Education.
Mark Snipes, Coordinator
Cooperative Christian Ministry
We the member churches of the Cooperative Christian Ministry, believing in one God, covenant together to work in partnership in service to our community obedient to the words of Christ that we should feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and seek out those imprisoned by fear, weakness and lack of opportunity, believe that what we do for the "least of these," we do for Jesus.
Eric Martin, Executive Director
Economic Development Greater East
EDGE (Economic Development Greater East) is a federally recognized nonprofit 501 (c) (3). EDGE was formed when a group of community members and land-based producers realized the need for coordination of, and support for, regional education and programming in land-based sectors ripe for scale. EDGE focuses on entrepreneurship and agripreneurship. EDGE has since expanded its commitment to local work opportunities to include remote and other trade opportunities. EDGE's agripreneurship goal is to grow and support land-based producers toward a living wage comparable to that outlined by the agricultural economist David Kohl for Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and our section of the Southeast, which is a farm family gross income of at least $80,000 per year (based on the work of the respected AgBiz Planner program). EDGE's entrepreneurship and workforce training focuses on stemming community brain drain and talent export, allowing locals to remain local and thrive. EDGE also coordinates and collaborates on issues of food security and food desert dilemmas, leading with heritage foodways and skills at the core of that joint effort and issues of nutrition and health.
Amelia Bandy, Executive Director/Co-Founder
Emma Quire Mission Center
The Emma Quire Mission Center, originally a ministry of First Baptist Church, Frankfort Kentucky, serves as a hub for missions in Owsley County. Their goal is “hope made visible” through ongoing relationships and collaboration between Owsley County residents and visiting groups, teams, and partners.
Linda Witt, Local Director
FBC Community Missions
Food Pantry: The First Baptist Church Food Pantry has been supplying food to hungry and economically disadvantaged persons in the Corbin community. The food pantry serves approximately 1100 families each year, providing food to approximately 2000 people.
Mustard Seed Community Garden: The First Baptist Church Food Pantry has been supplying food to hungry and economically disadvantaged persons in the Corbin community. The food pantry serves approximately 1100 families each year, providing food to approximately 2000 people.
White Flag Cold Weather Relief: The White Flag Cold Weather Relief Ministry provides shelter for the homeless on nights when the weather will drop below 29 degrees. On these nights FBC Corbin, through a partnership with a local hotel, share room vouchers—administered on a first-come, first-served basis—with individuals and/or families who otherwise would be exposed to the cold.
First Baptist Church of Corbin Kentucky
Lend-A-Hand Center
The Lend-A-Hand Center's mission is to lend a hand and improve the quality of life of people in southeastern Kentucky through educational, spiritual, health, and social services. The Lend-A-Hand Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1958. The Center is located in Knox County, Kentucky, and serves the Stinking Creek community.
Charles Carnes, Co-Executive Director
Dian Carnes, Co-Executive Director
Mountain T.O.P.
Through Christian community and faith-based relationships, Mountain T.O.P. helps meet the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional needs of all the people we encounter. The Cumberland Mountain region is a community where families and children thrive and everyone who contributes to Mountain T.O.P. mission grows through their experience with Christ. In order to achieve our goals, Mountain T.O.P. offers a variety of mission-based programs for youth and adults. Participants can choose to serve the Cumberland Plateau through home repair or day camp programs.
Mike Feely, Executive Director
Partnership Housing
The mission of Partnership Housing is as follows: "To increase the amount of safe, affordable, and decent housing available to low to moderate income residents in our area and to help those residents achieve better lives."
Cassie Hudson, Executive Director
Reid Miller - American Made-to-Measure Womenswear
Princeton, West Virginia
Reid Miller is a custom womenswear social enterprise that makes timeless, elegant wardrobe staples that fit and flatter each client while creating high quality sewing jobs in Appalachia. The 100 Blouses Project is Reid Miller’s grassroots campaign in collaboration with Asheville, NC—based sewing manufacture, Sew Co., to demonstrate the value of technology assisted custom apparel manufacturing to create living wage jobs in sewing and textiles in our communities while reducing waste in the fashion industry.
Reid Miller, Founder
Rural Appalachian Improvement League, Inc (RAIL)
Rural Appalachian Improvement League, Inc (RAIL) was founded in 2001 by community volunteers to help build a new and sustainable social structure and economic base in the southern West Virginia coalfields. RAIL is a grassroots organization that believes the local people – especially the youth and young adults – must be directly involved in solving the social and economic problems that exist in the community. RAIL believes that competent, creative, energetic, and qualified leadership at the local level is essential to community building. RAIL also believes that a base of operations that allows interaction with all the people in the community is essential. These beliefs are based on over 20 years of experience working with the people, agencies, and others that offer assistance in local community building. RAIL’s efforts are focused around community and economic development, helping individuals in recovery from SUD, and promoting healthy lifestyles. RAIL operates out of the Mullens Opportunity Center (MOC) in the City of Mullens.
Kristi Halsey, Executive Director
Samaritan Ministry
Samaritan Ministry is a faith-based AIDS Service Organization that was founded in 1996. Wayne Smith is the Director of this ministry, which operates under the auspices of Central Baptist Church of Bearden in Knoxville, Tennessee. Samaritan Ministry is supported through a network of religious, secular not-for-profit, and governmental entities.
Wayne Smith, Director/Founder
T&T Organics
T&T Organics has a very deep passion towards the natural organic way of living, which essentially lead to the start-up of this new small farm located in McDowell County, WV. T&T Organics is dedicated to using only natural, organic methods to provide fresh produce, meat and dairy products. T&T Organics is a member of a farm cooperative called "McDowell County Farms" which was established in December of 2014.
Jason Tartt, Owner/Designer
The Wade Center
The Wade Center is a non-profit organization located in Bluefield, WV. Since the doors first opened in 2005, The Wade Center has worked to keep young people off the streets and in a safe and nurturing environment to provide the next generation with a chance to truly succeed in life. With The Wade Center being “in the heart of the community with the community in our hearts,” they provide practical programs and mentoring relationships to meet the needs of children, youth and their families within the community.
Betty Brainerd, Executive Director
Justin Johnson, Missions Coordinator
Y'All Company
Y’all is a celebration of culture and heritage, the best of every southern state, a recipe for togetherness and we fill our bottles with it. We believe great food has the power to bring people together. To unite us. We believe the south is meant to be shared. It is rich in history and flavor. And so are our sauces.
Josh McGee, Co-Owner & Sauce Boss